Easy on the stomach

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When your celebrations last into the waning hours of the day and include rich, flavorful dishes and liberal libations, the best advice is to be herbally prepared to relieve the digestive upset that may befall you.

THE HOLIDAYS can wreak havoc on the digestive system. Even traveling can be a source of stomach upset, constipation, or diarrhea. And when the festivities start, who can resist all that food and drink? Just one more piece of pecan pie can’t hurt, we say. Meanwhile, indigestion, bloating, heartburn, and flatulence declare that our bodies don’t agree.

A host of digestive ailments can be caused by stress, fatigue, changes in time zones, dietary indiscretion, unfamiliar foods, and/or departures from regular eating schedules. But with a little advance planning, you can avoid these problems and enjoy the celebrations without interruption.

A pre-holiday pep talk

A little awareness goes a long way. In other words, it’s helpful to think about what irritates your digestive system before the festivities begin. Perhaps fats, excess alcohol, sugar, rich meats, or a combination of these irritates your stomach. Ideally, then, it could work wonders to make a simple vow before the holidays to avoid overindulging.

Realistically, however, it’s not always that simple. You may find that in addition to overeating, the stress associated with shopping, traveling, and entertaining are, to some extent, unavoidable. The best advice in this case is to be herbally prepared to relieve the digestive upset that may befall you.

Travel wisdom

For many people, queasiness and digestive upset are considered an inescapable part of traveling by sea, air, or land. But this doesn’t have to be, with the help of ginger (Zingiber officinale).

Although the exact way ginger acts on the body is unknown, it has been shown in clinical studies to be more effective than Dramamine in relieving symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Ginger is available in capsule, syrup, or extract form. The recommended dose is two 500 mg capsules, a teaspoon of ginger syrup, or 30 to 60 drops (1.5 ml, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) of ginger extract dissolved in some water, taken about one hour before departure. Repeat every four hours as needed.

Dehydration, which can occur when traveling by air, can upset the digestive system. Airlines often cut down on the moisture circulating in plane cabins because it’s less expensive to heat dry air, which is recycled from takeoff to landing. Spending hours in such an environment can rob your system of needed moisture. Because the body takes water from within when moisture is lost, this can lead to constipation if water is taken from the colon.

To help avoid this, abstain from salty snacks (consider packing some fresh fruit in your carry-on bag instead) and say no to alcoholic or sugar-laden drinks. Drink at least one liter of water every time you fly—­either before, during, or after—to ­replace lost fluids.

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